Reflective Synopsis

The likelihood of using technology as a teaching resource to support a new pedagogy in remote Queensland has excited me and I am sure would be an exhilarating innovation for all early years educators like myself. The learning I have experienced, I intend to share with others who may have more ideas and technologies to add to the benefit of our students across the state. When it is introduced to the TAFE remote teachers, the possibility of remote students being able to learn from others and connect as a community of practice will most likely inspire those teachers to promote digital learning to their cohorts as well.

My personal learning experience has evolved into a positive one. Using a PMI scaffolding strategy in the first Wiki helped my understanding of the topic. But more importantly, the social constructivist aspect supported by my partner, had me thinking more deeply after reading her analysis on the same topic. My partner also scaffolded my learning when she noted ‘It is interesting how our prior learning and social/cultural understandings highlight different, and similar, aspects of the same reading’ (Studders, Z., 2011). Zoe’s comment supports Vygotsky’s (1962) social development theory where cognition is developed through social interaction. In my Blog 8.7.11 the benefits of this framework is explored more.

My participation in the Mobile Phones wiki certainly opened my eyes to the creative learning and the many perspectives that can be shared within a community and in particular, a digital classroom. Here, my digital ‘accent’ (Prensky, 2001 p.2) became apparent to me because although I was able to contribute, I had problems with fonts and colour. Being a Digital Immigrant, the last five weeks have been an amazing learning experience and I have had to take it step by step. This is unlike the Digital Natives who Prensky, (2001) believes can multi-task and process parallel information.

In my Blog I write about the collective wisdom and how I could encourage a similar tool with my remote students. Using a social constructivist approach, I would support my students with problem solving, collaborating with peers, thinking critically and creativity. Emotional support and the feeling of being part of a learning community is also essential while the overall benefits of  receiving reciprocal teaching and instruction on a more regular basis would be evident in time. These students like myself, need to relate to what they are learning. Their reality could be discovered and develop into richer knowledge as each student creates meaning through their interactions with peers (Shunk, 2000, in Beaumie, K., 2000).

Over the past weeks, I have been transformed in my thinking about literacy to include digital literacy.  I now see the necessity of promoting ‘higher order thinking skills’ (Marcus, S. 2005, n.p.) and have given but a few examples in my Blog where the students can use all literacies to include visuals and aural technologies.  My adult students work at a functional level and introducing new media to their learning will encourage their creativity and trust in themselves. I hope they will play with visual and aural literacy and invent new ways of learning and sharing their individual ideas and experiences. This collaborative learning would also support the evaluation of work practice where comparisons and links can be made to legislative and early educational framework requirements.

Having such a digital classroom would allow individual students to be ‘engaged on multiple levels’ (The New Media Consortium, 2005, p. 8), and better support the multiple intelligences of the cohort. Like the Mobile Phones Wiki, questions can be commented on and analysed by the cohort.  They could be supplemented and emerge and grow into something different and original in a space that encourages diversity and acceptance of many ideas. In this Blog I have written about the benefits of using a Prezi. It also links to my Wiki page 2 where another link takes the participant to a Prezi. I found this resource very creative and useful as an assessment tool.

Participation in a Wiki would correspond with the real need for more diversity in early education as well as the need for more creativity. It would be alright to be wrong in this space. Sir Ken Robinson (2006, p.2) states in his Do schools kill creativity presentation, ‘if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.’ This originality was evident in the parallel thinking process we students participated in by analysing a question using De Bono’s six thinking hats. This certainly became a productive pedagogy where each individuals past experiences with mobile phones brought them to their own conclusions. In my Blog I have associated my own experience with how it could be for my students as well as the benefits explained.

When using a digital classroom, I would need to be very mindful of my early childhood students understanding of using legal, safe and ethical practices.  Following this instruction, the use of a Blog for reflection would be excellent in helping these students to evaluate their learning. Certainly it has been this for me, and beneficial to reflecting on the use of various technologies for teaching purposes. I write about the lack of available technology tools in my Blog for my remote students, but I believe now that those obstacles can be overcome. This may be possible through the use of mobile phones which in The Horizon Report, (2011) , the authors write how having mobile access also means that a full range of information from the network can be with you wherever you go (Johnson, L., et al, 2011).

Now that I am more familiar with Blogs or blogging, I, as a single author, personally enjoyed using it as a reflection tool. For my students, using it for this purpose would require me to visit each blog individually and scaffold their reflection by suggesting a thinking tool such as a SWOT analysis as in my Blog. A Blog could be used to reinforce procedures showing a sequence of steps in written or photographic mode. Using these steps in early childhood is required by legislation, and supports behaviourism theory where the students could master the steps gradually until the procedure is learned (Mergel, B., 1998). They could also take a video of the mastered procedure to share with others reading their Blog. I could use the video for their assessment in a unit of competence. However, a blog can also be supportive of constructivism theory in that reflections are individual, read by others, comments are posted and can be unrestricted.

In my Blog it shows how videos can be used to stimulate emotions or comments from students. This video was chosen because of its powerful message of connectivism, and in support of Marc Prensky’s (2005) ‘Engage Me or Enrage Me’ article. I believe the message was the same, but it delivered without reading a lot of text. Using videos also supports visual learners with keywords and movement.

Like the Blog, a Wiki can be used for similar learning. However, I think a Wiki will support the conventions of constructivism more due to the cohort being able to edit and add to the Wiki. More importantly, the learning is active and knowledge is built from each participant’s experiences and interaction with the world they live in. It promotes open-ended learning where my students could come to their own conclusions from others points of view and have their own creative ideas shared with their peers. An example exercise for my students supporting this theory with a visual and instructions is in my Wiki where I have used Blooms Taxonomy (1956) to walk students through the exercise.

When using images, students would be able to critically reflect on what is happening in an image or digital video and how they can improve their own work practice through knowing how that practice should look. I would scaffold students learning, especially when they are comparing views on one particular subject. The use of a Six Hats scaffold would be influential here to promote parallel thinking processes where together the students could ‘explore all sides of an issue’ (De Bono, E., 1985). This Blog shows how I have re-sized images.

An example of a Digital Video that I made, and another I embedded is in my Wiki. I especially like using these and when combined with music or voice over, they are a powerful tool for an emotional response. Students who work in early education learn best when a situation feels real to them and helps them connect with the content. I would encourage students to make their own videos or power points to share with others.

In creating a website, I was delighted with how easily information could be categorized into particular subjects. For my students, finding information and publishing it into sections would be a comprehensive way of storing information. Neat and tidy, students could access a wealth of shared perspectives focused on a particular content.  For example, many ideas could be shared for early literacy and numeracy. Blog 22.7.11 links to my website where on the page of the same name, I have linked directly to the legislative body who licenses early educational services. Using links can send learners to videos, images, and text to support their work practices.

In comparing all the tools, I believe that for TAFE students, the Wiki would cover all aspects of learning including all learning theories. I will be using all the tools and would most likely let the students decide what best supports them in their learning.

  

References

Bloom, B., 1956. in Big Dog & Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition, retrieved 15^th July, 2011 from    Central Queensland University http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

De Bono, E., 198. in The de Bono Group, LLC, for  Advanced Practical Thinking Training,(r) Inc. Official Edward de Bono Thinking Methods, retrived 17^th August, 2011 from http://www.debonogroup.com/parallel_thinking.htm

Felder, R. M. & Solomon, B. A. (n.d.). Learning Styles and Strategies, retrieved 6^th July, 2011 from  http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/syyles.htm

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., 2011. The 2011 Horizon Report. The New Media Consortium, retrieved 19^th July, 2011 from Central Queensland University http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report.pdf

Marcus, S.,2005. The New Literacies: What Is Basic Education Now? Retrieved 2nd August, 2011 from Central Queensland University, Digital Technologies 2, Group 2 technologies at http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186321

Mergel, B., 1998. Instructional Design & Learning Theory, retrieved 8^th July, 2011 from Central Queensland University http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id+186311

Prensky, M., 2001. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, retrieved 12^th July, 2011 from Central Queensland University, http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Prensky, M., 2005. Engage Me or Engage Me, What Todays Learners Demand, retrieved 4^th July, 2011 from Central Queensland University http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/Pdf/ermo553.pdf

Shunk, 2000, in Beaumie, K., 2000.  Social Constructivism, in M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 2^nd August, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Studders, Z., 2011. Communities of Practice, fahe11001, Central Queensland University, retrieved 10^th August, 2011 http://fahe11001flex.wikispaces.com/Communities+of+Practice

The New Media Consortium, 2005. A Global Imperative, The Report of the 21st Century Literacy Summit, retrieved 2nd August, 2011 from Central Queensland University, Digital Technologies  2, Group 2 technologies at http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186321

Vygotsky, L.S., 1962. Thought and Language, retrieved 6^th July, 2011 from Central Queensland University, http://tip.psychology.org/vygotsky.html

Reflect on Wk 5

Ways I learned to use Powerpoint

• Drag & drop - use clip art and resize.
• Record what children say about pictures they see and add in.
• Ask questions and add text and answers. Use sound instead of words.

I was very impressed with how much time I saved doing storyboard.  I went through this step by step (Behaviourism theory).

Learning Prezi :  Prezi  I also have a link to this in my previous blog and in my wiki Wiki Page 2. I think I had the most fun with this tool. I can see it being used by my students to explain  the benefits of a child playing and using sand. Thats just one example. Actually, they could do a SWOT or PMI on playing in sand and mix up the colours of the words. They could simpy use images. I will be recommending this to be used as assessment! In the future, with a new pedagogy emerging in Qld remote areas, this will be a powerful learning tool. Sharing will support Social Constructivism, where other students can comment on the content in the Prezi.

Cognitive Constructivism is evident in both the Powerpoint and Prezi where relevent to the job ideas and information can be shared. Short term memory is supported in the Prezi with drop and drag, and long term memory when looking at the Prezi as a single item. If I used my own video in this presentation tool, I could show a staff member going through steps of making a sand castle or digging a hole while scaffolding a childs learning. It also supports social constructivism by using images. See think wonder would be excellent for observations on children and certainly learning how to do them. Endless questions and analysis could result from the presentation tools shown to us this week. The digital analysis supports connectivism theory.

One more for Ass 2

Presentation Week

 The Value of playing in sand   http://prezi.com/your/

This Prezi shows some Benefits to children who play in sand . I find it a wonderful presentation tool, especially on a large screen in an auditorium. It was easy to do and use. My students could use it for assessment instead of the Posters they make now. Fun and easy.

Using storyboard was good to organise and speed up making Powerpoints. I have had some experience with Powerpoint, but not using storyboard. It was really good. I have a lot of powerpoints, most of them with pictures of children in them. I have permission to use these for educational purposes, but not up on my blog. I have tried to put a powerpoint up here, but I have not been successful.

Reflect WK 4

Being a bit behind this week has also helped me to do more reflection. I have looked over everyones Blogs & Wikis and did some readings and finaly got a movie on my wiki. It was too long to load up because I deceided to use it as a farewell movie for the staff at work because I move over to Mt Isa in a couple of weeks. So I had to shorten it. Wiki . Click a couple of times, it's slow to start. It shows my remote travels and I am hoping for an emotional response where the music is telling the wonderful people I work with how much I will miss them for the year I am on secondment.

The Global Imperative (2005) was interesting explaining how Multimodal is visual, aural & immediate. I can see how my remote students would benefit from using videos with voice over of children in action and engaged with staff. Often, in remote areas, students are unable to improve practice due to not knowing how things should look. I am also very keen on using video & aural to evoke an emotional response, which is the core of quality early childhood. I could video how to make playdough, follow set procedures like handwashing and it could also be powerful for learning observations on children. When I think about it, the scope is endless. I could use video & powerpoint face to face but also in the Wiki. This would be for all levels of qualifcations Cert III, Diploma, Adv. Diploma for adolesents and adults.

It was interesting to read The New Literacies, Susan Marcus (2005), where the author has recognised that visual was the first form of literacy before symbols and how it has returned digitally! She sees it as important as words & numbers. My ATSI students need the visuals and symbols to learn. Where the technonogy is available, I will be introducing more digital visuals so they can explore other services and ways of educating young children. I can also use my lap top if the internet is not available.

I had trouble using Flicker, so I haven't as yet explored it-but I will.

In reflecting on what I have learned in the past 4 weeks, I believe I can support a new pedagogy across the state. There are another 5 remote TAFE teachers that I am in contact with, and the website and wiki would be very useful to them as well. We collaborate with resources and strategies on a regular basis and I believe that in the future, their students and mine can also collaborate and share ideas and be engaged in network learning. I will be meeting up with these people in October in Brisbane, so I will show them the benefits of having a website and wiki for our remote students.

I don't do classroom teaching any more. It is more one on one and workshops. What I have been learning can be used for every form of delivery.

Lorraine

References

Marcus, S.,2005, The New Literacies: What Is Basic Education Now? Retrieved 2nd August, 2011 from Central Queensland University, Digital Technologies 2, Group 2 technologies at http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186321

The New Media Consortium, 2005, A Global Imperative, The Report of the 21st Century Literacy Summit, retrieved 2nd August, 2011 from Central Queensland University, Digital Technonogies 2, Group 2 technologies at http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186321

Week four fun

I have used three photos from my trip away this week. I used MobaPhoto, and found it difficult to follow. But, most digital stuff is like that for me. I am not use to resizing photos, I usually just copy them and reshape them individually. I have spent a lot of time trying to understand moviemaker and podcasts. I am struggling with these. I did a lot of research to find out what a Podcast is. I also had trouble finding useful podcasts. So I must be doing something wrong. I will keep trying.

6.8.11  I have been successful with moviemaker. In my next Blog I have written about the benefits for my students.

Photos by L. Freese (2011)

Always Learning. Week 3

I am happy to say I have managed to do W3 activities without outside help and how my attitude toward technologies has turned from terrified to excited!

These activity's have supported my learning with step by step instructions (Behaviourism) to create a Wiki & Website while giving positive reinforcement through my success. Supporting this theory, I have included examples in my wiki and website for student learning by following links and headings.
I have used Cognitive theory by including visuals, videos, and activities for my students that are relevant, as is the information and visuals provided for my learning.

Social Constructivism is evident in my participation with others in the Tutorial, Wiki, Website and this Blog. For my students, I aimed at their past experiences with my wiki video to spark quality practice for all children. The visual pictures promote shared information and the PMI is for scaffolding their learning. Below, I will share a video I recently saw at a conference to highlight the potential of Connectivism.

 Video Courtesy of Youtube.

Using these technologies will support a new pedagogy. My particular cohort in remota areas would value the information, sharing and community. Most remote students do not have a connection with other students, and using these technologies could give them that.

The website is useful for students to look at videos, visuals and read content and tasks, but does not allow them to include their ideas or thoughts, so it is limited, but still a useful tool.

The Wiki however is more flexible and scaffolds learning through shared information,ideas and comments and lets the particpants reflect on the information in one chunk. 6 hats was great for this.  The Blog is an individual reflection tool where thoughts can be shared but edited only by the individual.

All technologies are responsive to learning and learning styles, but the Wiki would be my favourite due to it's flexibility.

 Lorraine

Reference

Nesbitt.B., 2007, A vision of K-12 Students Today, Retrieved 22nd July, 2011 from YouTube at http://www.youtube.com



Learning from others

If anyone reads my blog, I would like you to know that I have certainly read yours! Thanks for your thoughts of the past 2.5 weeks. I have had some trouble leaving comments on some of your Blogs, so sorry if it's you.

I am finding this course the most difficult of them all. In between all this I have to work and next week will not be able to participte in ellimunate because I will be travelling with my work.Where I travel to also cannot help me. No Macas there. If my TAFE laptop would have allowed, I certainly would be involved in the Tutorial. For those of you who are just starting out, I am glad for you that the courses I found easier are in your future. I am also happy that this is my last.

I think I am struggling with the time it takes me to learn how to use the technology. I can follow instructions, but a lot of the words are another language to me. What's Weebly?? Also, today I went on YouTube and found plenty of videos, but they did not have Embed on them. So what do I do next??? No instruction on that!  I can certainly see the benefits of all this for connecting students in their learning, but have just spent two hours trying to get elluminate again. I had it last night to test my microphone, but not able to get it tonight. Must be at that end.

So my reflection  after 2.5 weeks is not the most positive and that is usual for me. But, I have a plan to get help. I will find someone who can walk me through all of this hopefully this weekend. So if anyone else feels like me, please give me a comment (if you can). I obviously need cheering up.

Lorraine

Blogs for Remote Indigenous Early Education

SWOT -
This has been interesting, searching the net looking for readings about teachers who have used multimedia in Queensland to teach in remote areas. Unfortunately, I have not been successful in finding anything current.

I presume similar barriers to my own exist for other remote TAFE teachers...the technology!! In schools I believe this exists, but in child care centres where I teach qualifcations, usually only one computer is available in the office and certainly not at home.We have done some work on Skype, which I have to do from home because of Gov. firewalls (I think).  I have however tried using my wireless and laptop while in the centres but usually I don't have a signal. But....I refuse to let that stop me!! After reading Stephen Downs-Educational Blogging, the opportunities are even clearer.
Strengths:  Students like to share Blogs with everyone. Blogging with other child care services in other countries who are proven to be providing better care & education than Australia. It promotes reflective analysis in the learning community. Students can link to new & useful resources. It encourages students to read and write. Staying current with ever changing information about early childhood. Link with other TAFE's and Uni's. Finding a solution to access to technology.
Weaknesses: Confidentiality could be beached. Photos (without permission) could be shown. Not owning or haveing access to the technology. My teaching abilities.
Opportunities: Shared information & ideas. Reflection, analysis of practice and learning. Reaching educational goals (qualifications). Employment. Confidenece and resilience building. Critical thinking practices. Getting to know other educators.
Threats:TAFE seeing the potential for the students. The time it will take to set up Blogging on the TAFE systems. Students not getting involved. Others in communitity not wanting the student to succeed. My own teaching ability to teach others how to use Blogs. Inapproapriate comments.

Clearly the strengths and opportunities stand out, and I will have to find a way around any other weeknesses and threats.

Lorraine

TPAC & Bloom's

TPCK

This framework can be used to design pedagogical strategies and analyse teacher’s successes in using technology. The authors point out that knowledge of the use of technology is different to knowledge of how to teach it. Some technologies constrain the content to be covered. That using technology will be taught differently by varied teachers. Therefore, using a standard approach to teaching the teachers how to use technology will not be as effective as the teachers being able to demonstrate their skills with the current software. This makes sense to me, and I have been a teacher who has been taught technologies, but did not know how to use them in relation to content or pedagogy. I think I might be learning now.

TPCK can be used to improve learning environments and for research into teacher knowledge and how that evolves. It supports the argument that teachers and students need to explore technologies and content in authentic contexts. The framework supports the evolving relationship of Technology and Content that is often changing with newer ideas and newer technologies.

The benefits of the TPCK framework is how it incorporates knowledge about content, pedagogy and technology and makes them the centre of TPCK’s teaching success.  

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy-reflects a more active form of thinking. I have used this framework and the useful verbs and found it especially good for authentic contexts such as early childhood. It works well with a deeper understanding of set procedures required for legislative reasons.

Lorraine

6 Hats Wiki

The collective wisdom this week has allowed me to look at the Mobile Phone issue from a number of points of view. The Wiki's characteristics, using De Bono's 6 thinking hats and being able to read all of our perspectives and being able to share those comfortably has pointed out the usefullness of such a wiki in my future teaching.

I enjoyed researching, and definately reading everyone's input. I see the benefits of using a wiki such as this as better than face to face classroom sharing where sometimes, students will hold back their ideas for fear of confrontation. The wiki has been a good example of a productive pedagogy and has included all 8 strategies. The learning has been in a real context, collaborative and values different points of view.
This particular wiki however, has widely varied perspectives because of the range of teaching areas-primary, secondary, early childhood, TAFE. The 6 hats have been a useful tool in promoting full spectrum thinking where each of us looked at all side to the mobile phone issue. Although the Mobile Phone's were a parallel thought and thinking process, we were however coming from different age groups and this will always have varied responses and multiple solutions.

I am interested in using a Wiki for remote students. I feel they would share more and revisiting perspectives of others is very useful to learning. Certainly using the 6 hats in groups gives the students a systematic way to their parellel thinking and manages thinking in a particular direction at a time. This framework encourages collaboration and includes unique points of view and input from everyone.

The learning theory behind this weeks Wiki activity is Social Constructivism as we have constructed the Wiki collectively and from our own perceptions of experiences with Mobile Phones.

 Image courtesy of Flickr.com

Thought these could be interesting to use!

Lorraine

Reference

Flickr.com, 2011, Images for de bono 6 Hats (p.20), Retrieved 8th July, 2011 from http://www.google.com.au/search?q=de+bono+6hats{

Reflection Wk 1

Wider than a Wiki

I was very glad that how to navigate this course & use Wikis & Blogs was supported by the step by step Activities and the theory of Behaviourism.   Following the scaffold for Blog Reflections had helped me organise my learning & storage of thoughts. I will gladly use this cognitive constructivism theory in action in the form of concept mapping as it supports my global learning style for a need to see the whole picture each week.
The on line tutorial was a helpful Social scafolding through Wendy's questioning, examples and fellow contributions. Certainly all contributors (the expert community) have been invaluable to my learning  (Social constructivism) and the scaffolding from the web sites and PMI has helped my understanding of learning theory.
Being a digital immigrant (Prensky, 2001) I have this week engaged, using my digital accent, in Blogs and Wikis. Certainly the networking advantage of Connectivism is evident after only one week!

With learning design, this week has shown me the advantages of a continuum of practice when I deliver a unit of competence.
The purpose behind this week, I believe, was to realise that point, and to highlight the advantages of accessing others who hold knowledge and information.
Personally, I have had some frustrating moments, but I believe problems can be solved. It can only get better from here!
Lorraine

Week One fun

Reflection & Learning

Learning Style: I have realised that as a Global learner, I will need to look over a few weeks activities & assessments so I can see the Big Picture and link to what I already know. Otherwise, I sit balanced in all other dimensions. Delivering information in a variety of ways should reach all learners and is possible with classroom and remote students by using that Creativity, Sir Ken Robinson so highly revears. Because of my need to link to what I know, every activity I undertake is related to my TAFE teaching. However,TAFE has not seen Sir Ken Robinsons's presentation! That "unpredicability of what to teach" to the future students has me asking myself questions.

• how many other ways can I deliver?
• who are the cohort?
• who can help me?
• what training do I need?
• what resources will I need?
• what resources do the cohort need?

Engage or Enrage Me:  I felt this reading was something most teachers are aware of. Finding the answers to engaging is the difficult part. With IT changing rapidly, the computers that arrive today at school could be obsolete compared to a students IPhone. This is where your student can be teaching you! If you are a digital immigrant, like myself, the students can be the teachers. Here connectivism is at it's best. Everyone wants to help, join in, and share. Also, everyone has something to teach!